Well, here's an early contender for the title of "Feel Bad Movie of 2013." Scenic Route stars Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler as two life-long friends whose relationship is, um, tested after they're stranded together in a desert. Unexpected fault lines in their friendship rise to the surface and eventually erupt into homicidal violence.
But even with the bond between Duhamel and Fogler's characters being strained to the point of psychosis, the scariest thing about the movie, directed by brothers Michael &amp; Kevin Goetz from a script by Awake's Kyle Killen, has gotta be Duhamel's freaky, grease-stained mohawk.
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Unlike his parents, blue collar Italians who take pride in their country, their past, and a well-kept haircut, Douglas believes that rock and roll is "art." The central character of Not Fade Away, which premiered at the New York Film Festival, lives and breathes music, a disciple of the unique rhythms of the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. After high school, Douglas pursues a career with his buddies from New Jersey, hoping one day to make it big like his idols. He wants to be a performer. An artist.
As time passes, Douglas' creative pursuits widen, and it becomes clear that the struggling 20-something is a proxy (or at least a variation of), writer/director David Chase. Any Sopranos fan can tell you that Chase has a passion for a music, each episode meticulously curated like a live-action mixtape with mobsters, rather than a typical hour long drama. For Not Fade Away, Chase's directorial debut, the small screen auteur immerses himself completely in the mesmerizing grandness of the '60s era rock and roll scene. But it's not a movie founded on nostalgia for nostalgia's sake — Douglas' exploration of music and the life that surrounds it is depicted with passion and accuracy, as if Chase adapted journal entries of every pop culture-infused moment from his own life. We don't see Douglas' entire career play out or pull back to completely understand the '60s music industry. It's just about one big dreamer.
Not Fade Away feels like six seasons of a television show condensed into a swift two hour film. It's purposefully disjointed, hitting the big beats in Douglas' (John Magaro) life like true memories do. In the years that follow his graduation, Douglas joins his two buddies Eugene (Jack Huston) and Wells (Will Brill) to fill out their always-rotating band roster. With Douglas, they find a leading man, and become a big deal in the New Jersey suburbs. The musical career confidence convinces Douglas to bail from college, much to the chagrin of his dad Pat (James Gandolfini). Gone are his plans to join the ROTC and travel to Vietnam, replaced by ambition for fame, artistic fulfillment, and romance with the cool girl from high school, Grace (Bella Heathcote).
The film covers a lot of ground, but it's not a quick rise of the top for Douglas. Not Fade Away plays more like the anti-action war film of Jarhead through the terms of That Thing You Do. Like The Sopranos, the film uses a mix of comedy and drama to make the story relatable. Magaro, Huston, and Brill sound and act like young people. They listen to records, smoke pot, talk a big talk, and act like know-it-alls. They fall face first when minor hurdles come along. They pal around. They fall in love, then fall out of it moments later. The time in-between these memorable scenes could be days or weeks or months or years, but Chase boldly jumps from one poignant moment to the next, whether it's Douglas nearly fist-fighting his father, the first time he has sex with Grace (a semi-awkward couch moment), or hearing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" for the first time.
Not Fade Away isn't overtly profound, but it's a joy to watch. As Douglas loses himself to music, so do we, Chase's incredible soundtrack handpicked by musician/producer Steven Van Zandt. We're not just told why someone would fondly recall growing up in the '60s, we feel it. It's mirrored by photography that makes the drab Jersey suburbs and rundown streets of New York's East Village pop in accordance with the tunes. And like Sopranos, which did plenty of poetic waxing as it told its epic gangster tale, Chase relies heavily on the well-rounded performances of his cast. Magaro plays Douglas in a way that fits the film's pacing. All at once he's a dork, a romantic, an a**hole, and a philosopher (plus, he can sing!). The other standout is Gandolfini; an actor who could be perceived as one-note on the surface reminds us once again of his subtle range. There's a bit of Tony Soprano in Pat, but the tough exterior has plenty of vulnerabilities. In fact, it might be that there's a little of Chase's own father in Tony.
The unconventional style makes Not Fade Away less digestible than a music-driven coming of age story like Almost Famous. Chase prioritizes the experiential over the step-by-step narrative. It makes the film more sporadic, but keeps the audience on its toes. With vivid colors, sharp wit, and the perfect selection of songs, the writer/director brings the same freshness that turned The Sopranos into a modern classic to Not Fade Away. When it rocks out this winter, catch it.
[Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures]
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Those well-versed in the films of Oliver Stone or perhaps a certain quirky hospital series that helped launched the age of the single-camera comedy might have noticed a familiar face popping up throughout this season of Burn Notice: that of John C. McGinley, the decorated film and television actor famous for playing Dr. Perry Cox on the NBC sitcom Scrubs. Throughout Burn Notice’s sixth season, McGinley has recurred as Tom Card, the nebulous former mentor to the show’s hero, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). Thursday night will mark the broadcast of the USA series’ mid-season finale (McGinley will appear on more in the fall!) — and perhaps reveal a little more about his character's true intentions?
We got a chance to talk to the actor about his stint on Burn Notice, as well as a few other exciting projects he has on the horizon (including a Broadway appearance), his lasting appreciation for the gift that was Dr. Cox, and some of his own cinematic passions.
“I’d been a fan of Jeffrey [Donovan] for a long time,” McGinley explained, discussing his decision to take on a role on Burn Notice. “I’d seen the show off and on. And Gabrielle [Anwar] is a goddess. So, I just thought it was a bunch of good actors. And Matt Nix, he can write his tail off. I thought that was a good formula — and so it yielded huge dividends.”
As we quickly learned about McGinley, the quality of writing is his top priority when choosing a project. “I read it, and I thought it was really delicious. So I said, ‘Yeah. I’ll come down to Miami.’ Why not? … There’s that silly rule of thumb that you hear every actor talk about in every stinkin’ interview: if it’s not on the page, it’s a recipe for disaster. It’s the single truest thing in the history of the planet. If those words stink, then the [project] is going to stink.”
McGinley could tell from reading Tom Card that he was a character worth sinking his teeth into. “You don’t know if he’s coming or going as far as how he supports or subverts the protagonist for four of the five episodes. That’s fantastic. He’s not wearing a particular color in the story. You don’t know if he’s the man in black or the man in white, the bad guy or the good guy. So, to be able to straddle that tight of a tightrope is the stuff that actors dream of.”
There are several big screen projects that McGinley has in the works — each of which commanded his interest thanks to the quality of its script. First on the list is 42, the developing Jackie Robinson biopic written and directed by Brian Helgeland. “The script is very smart. It’s one year. It’s 1947. It’s the year baseball was integrated. It’s not Jackie Robinson from cradle to the grave. That’s too hard. You’ve got to do that with a book … This is one year in a man’s life that, in a lot of ways, changed our country.”
McGinley enthusiastically celebrates his chance to play radio sportscaster Red Barber in the film.
“He’s one of the top-of-the-food-chain, iconic radio voices of all time,” McGinley divulged. “I don’t say that in any way disparaging Vince Gully, because Vince Gully was an intern of his for five years. So, this is a guy who, along with Mel Allen, invented baseball on the radio. They co-invented it. They were the pioneers. And I got to do that. It was massive.”
However, this story reaches far beyond the confines of professional baseball. McGinley appreciates just how grand a story this film has in store — “As much of a sports story it is,” the actor said, “this is a civil rights story.” He continued: “This is a story about empowerment and courage. Branch Rickey, who Harrison Ford plays in this, was the guy who ran the Dodgers. What he did was breathtaking. In 1947, to bring a black guy into the big leagues? As you’ll see in the story, it was an uphill climb the whole way.”
Another highly anticipated film in McGinley’s future is the newest Alex Cross adaptation, featuring Tyler Perry and Ed Burns. While both of the leading men’s characters come straight from the texts of James Patterson, McGinley got the opportunity to create the character himself with the film’s writer and director Rob Cohen. “I played Ed Burns’ and Tyler Perry’s boss in the police force … It’s not in the book. So, [Cohen] invited me to come and create this guy. We got together and decided where this guy could fit into the story. That’s as exciting as anything any actor could ever do. When you get to create a character out of nothing? He doesn’t exist in the book. He doesn’t exist in the script. Rob knew he needed an instrument in there somewhere to push this information forward, or deliver this element of the story. He goes, ‘Do you want to be this guy?’ And I said, ‘Of course!’"
As far as his cast mates go, McGinley feels as though he hit the jackpot. “I’ve always thought Ed Burns was a profoundly underrated actor. He’s a great director, obviously. A great director/writer. But I think he’s a stunning actor, too … I was pretty pumped to see Ed. It’s so great when your perception of someone is eclipsed by how great they are in real life. That’s the effect Ed had on me. I thought he was a stunning person, and an equally extraordinary actor.” Although McGinley didn’t have as much of a chance to spend time with Perry off camera, he assured that he will be “marvelous” as Alex Cross.
Among this slew of dramatic new prospects, McGinley is also staying true to his gift of humor for the upcoming comedy film Get a Job. McGinley explained the theme of the picture: “It’s [about] the Gen-Xers who have lived at home with their parents. The angle the script takes is that these are the kids who all got trophies in soccer. And even if you were thrown out at first when you were playing little league baseball, you still got to stay on first. You were never out. You weren’t ever on a losing team.”
And how exactly do kids like this turn out as adults? “So, this kind of mollycoddling that generation was afforded or afflicted with by their parents has yielded kids — young people at twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty — who… who what? That’s what the picture is. Okay, what are you doing now? There are losers in soccer games. You are out at first.”
Once again, it all comes back to the writing: “The script was fantastic. I play one of their bosses. One of the guys gets a job on a trading floor. And talk about a shark pool. To come from that background to a stocks and bonds trading floor, where everybody would take a shiv and stick it in your esophagus just as soon as look at you. So, this one character, that’s his workplace conflict.”
A colorful stock trader, a shifty mentor (and possible villain), a sportscasting legend, and the head honcho on a homicide investigation — not to mention Dave Moss in the upcoming Broadway production of Glengarry Glen Ross, in which McGinley will star opposite Al Pacino (a role that McGinley called “a profound challenge”). Clearly, the actor has a lot of great characters on the way. But for many of us, he’ll always be associated with Percival Cox, M.D. And McGinley seems to have no problem with that.
“To get to play that guy for nine years,” McGinley explained, “is a gift … [I] did six films this year, and now I’m going to do a Broadway play. So, if I’ve been stigmatized as Dr. Cox, then give me more stigma.”
And it’s because of how tumultuously troubled Cox always was as a human being. “He was profoundly flawed, from being unquestionably an alcoholic, to being a divorced guy who moves in, moves out, moves back in with his ex-wife — then decides that they’re better divorced but living together — to sometimes using a jackhammer to teach, only because the stakes that they’re dealing with are so important, to being a great father but raging against being a mentor, to a guy who can’t stand human touch. These are all great things. And they’re so specific and meticulous.”
According to McGinley, this kind of human flaw is what makes for great character. “What helps writers, and ultimately, obviously, helps the actors — who should serve the words that the writer puts on the page — is if the character has damages. Because then the writers can cultivate and excavate, like a dentist going into a tooth. You go into those damages and write interesting stories for a prolonged period of time. So, Cox is so damaged that they got to write him for nine years, and he never became an exercise in redundancy.”
But there are aspects of Cox that make him triumphant. For one, his intelligence, as McGinley illustrated. “I surrendered to this early on: Dr. Cox, SAT- and IQ-wise, runs circles around me. That’s a horrible thing to say about yourself. I think the guy is super, super bright. And probably rebels against that, and tries to damage his intellect with booze.”
Even more importantly is the fact that, at the very core, Cox is a truly good person. “The great thing about Cox,” the actor said, “is that you knew he had a heart of gold. At the bottom of the ninth, bases jacked, two strikes, full count — who do you want? You want Cox. Who do you want as your doctor? You want Cox. So, working backwards from there, it gave him license to hammer those kids. The guy was so fundamentally sound, that he could take those liberties.”
McGinley got to talking about one of his most memorable episodes on Scrubs, which took place during an arc in which Cox spiraled into a crushing depression after inadvertently causing the deaths of several patients. “I didn’t talk in that episode until the last scene,” McGinley recalled. “People kept coming to the apartment. It was an exercise in listening, which is always really useful for actors to do. There’s a whole school in the Neighborhood Playhouse — Sandy Meisner and the Neighborhood Playhouse — all their focus is on listening. And the listening exercises that Sandy came up with always, always are the stuff of treasure and genius work for actors.”
One thing that fans of Perry Cox might look back upon fondly is the doctor’s signature nose-flick — a quirk that McGinley himself brought to the character. But where exactly did it come from? “I was lucky enough to become friends with Paul Newman during Fat Man and Little Boy,” McGinley explained. “When John Cusack and I were down in Mexico doing that film about the atomic bomb. So, I kind of was obsessed with Paul Newman. He was the best to me. One of his famous throws to Robert Redford in The Sting — “The coast is clear, everything is okay” — was that nose flick. So, it was kind of an homage to Paul.”
Talking about The Sting got the actor thinking back upon some of his other favorite films. Among them: Casablanca, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Godfather, and The Grey Fox. “A lot of people would argue with The Grey Fox,” McGinley admitted. “But I don’t care, because it rocks me. The storytelling is so clean, and it’s so gorgeous. And Richard Farnsworth, who I never met… he’s a reason to put a motion picture camera on a human face.”
And when you consider the common themes of this string of movies, McGinley’s favorite pick of 2012 might surprise you: The Odd Life of Timothy Green. The actor affirms that it is “the best film of the year,” divulging emphatically: “You have to be willing to suspend your disbelief, a la E.T.. If you can’t do that, then don’t go to the movie. These reviewers that have been uniformly unkind to it, I don’t know what film they were watching. If they think they were watching a true story about a little boy… it’s a love letter. It’s an enchanted love letter. If you watch E.T. and say that there are holes in the story because this alien lands, then don’t go to the movie! It drives me insane. You go see Timothy Green, and tell me if it doesn’t rock your world. I loved it. I loved every frame of it.”
While it might be a bit easier to pinpoint his favorite of other artists’ works, McGinley just can’t decide when it comes to his own line of films — specifically, his list of Oliver Stone movies. McGinley holds the distinction to be the only actor to have worked with director Stone in six features, and he cherishes each one of them. “They’re all pretty special. Going into the Philippines for six months and surrendering your life to [Platoon] was unbelievable. Doing Wall Street was special, because my father and Oliver’s father both worked, independent of each other, on Wall Street. Doing Talk Radio, I created the role in the play and did it for a year and a half, and then Oliver said, ‘Do you want to do the movie?’ Any Given Sunday, I got to meet Al and spend five months with Al.”
And although he was not involved with this year’s Savages, McGinley had nothing but high praise for the film. “I thought it was fantastic. I thought all the actors were great. I thought Benicio [del Toro] and John [Travolta] and Salma [Hayek] were just in top form.”
Three big pictures, one Broadway play, a television guest spot on the way, and a hell of a lot in the realm of film and television to his name already. McGinley is one of those rare actors that seems to crank out golden performances wherever he goes. Does he have a knack for picking terrific material, or is he just good enough to make anything worth watching (a skill he accredits to a limited populace, including the likes of Jim Carrey and Robin Williams)? Whichever you choose to believe, it’s hard to ignore the actor’s vast talent.
Catch McGinley in the season finale of Burn Notice on Thursday night at 9 PM.
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Rachael Harris is the type of actress every show and movie brings on to up the funny. Whether it's for a brief-but-hysterical role (Ed Helms' wife in The Hangover), a beefed up lead (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a movie that's a thousand times funnier than anyone could have expected), a talking head correspondent (The Daily Show), or a regular on a network show (she's appeared in over 20), Harris always delivers, sliding her position as one of the funniest ladies in the biz.
That sprawling body of comedic work helps make Harris' performance in her latest, Natural Selection (out now in limited release), even more startling and sizzling than it would have been. Harris plays Linda, a Christian housewife whose marriage is on the rocks after she discovers she can't get pregnant. Her conservative husband, Abe, soon falls ill, and Linda's entire world is flipped upside down when he reveals the existence of an illegitimate son. Linda heads out on journey to find the grown-up kid, Raymond, now a junkie well-versed in criminal activity. The wild ride is complicated by their evolving relationship, and Harris performance is brave, twisted and stunning.
I talked to Harris, who is currently in the middle of filming a TV pilot executive produced by her longtime friend Melissa McCarthy, about what it took to bring this dark performance to life, convincing director Robbie Pickering she was right for the film and what her future in TV and movies holds. We also started a campaign to bring her back to the Hangover franchise…for revenge.
I was so surprised, happily surprised, when I caught Natural Selection at last year’s South by Southwest Festival. It won! Were you down at the festival last year for the screenings?
I was. I was at SXSW. I wasn’t there for the award ceremony, because I had to fly back to shoot another pilot for Fox. But I was there for our first two screenings, which was really exciting.
What was the response when you showed up for the first time?
Rachael Harris: We had a really warm reception. People were laughing. The thing that we were most obsessed with at the first screening, we were obsessed with Roger Ebert, and Logan Hill, and the jurors at SXSW. Honestly, I didn’t know who Logan was at the time, but we knew Roger was in the building. [Laughs] That was the thing. It was like, ‘Roger Ebert is going to see our movie!’ And it just blew our minds. I just went and sat—I couldn’t watch Roger watch the move.But then afterwards, he was the juror, so he couldn’t indicate anything to us. But he did give me a big hug, and give me a thumbs up. So, that was everything to me.
How did you become involved with the film and director Robbie [Pickering]? Natural Selection is very different than some of the other work you’ve done.
RH: I had been saying to my agents and managers for a long time that I wanted to branch out. There are different women, I’ve loved their careers. Frances McDormand being one of them. That’s the best example that I can give, because she does comedy and drama and theater. She transitions seamlessly between auditions in my mind. When the two women were talking about that, it was like, ‘Yes, I love doing comedy, I love doing sitcoms, and comedic TV shows. But I would also love the opportunity to do something more dramatic.’
So, they sent me the script and I read it. It was like a really good book that I couldn’t put down. The second I started reading it, I fell in love with Linda, and then I fell in love with Raymond, and Peter…I just love the character that Jon Gries plays in the film, too. I thought it was a really beautiful, complex story. I hadn’t read anything like it, ever. And I thought, ‘For sure, I’m not going to get to do this.’ So then I called my agents. We set up a meeting. Unbeknownst to me, Robbie didn’t want to meet me for the meeting. He just said, based on everything I had done in the past, ‘She’s completely not right for this.’
Wow.
RH: Yeah. And it wasn’t that he was being arrogant, or mean…
He didn’t know.
RH: He didn’t know. Nobody knew. Nobody knows. I blissfully did not know he didn’t want to take a meeting with me. But then when we had the meeting, I think that I just got really personal with him about my connection to the character, and told him a little bit about my own personal life. He said in that meeting, ‘Oh my God, I think you might be right.’ But he still had reservations. So he had me come in and read for it, which I was happy to do.
Was it difficult for you to get into this headspace? Going dark, dramatic?
RH: Well, when I moved to New York out of college, that was my goal. To be a stage actress. And to do dramatic works. Like Madea, and ‘night, Mother, and Sam Shepard, and all that kind of stuff. That’s what I really wanted to do.
RH: And then, no one was hiring me, because I looked like I was sixteen when I was in my early twenties. So it was really difficult to find a niche. And then I had an agent that said, ‘I’m opening an agency in Los Angeles. I think you’d work a lot in television and film. What do you think?’ And I was just dying in New York, so I said yes. So, I came out here, and then started booking commercials. And that’s when I got my first Groundlings show. I became obsessed with that. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I love this!’ It’s funny, because when I was in college, all my professors said, ‘You should do comedy.’ And I was like, ‘No! No!’ But I was able to get my foot in the door through comedy. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do it.
You mentioned talking to Robbie in that first meeting about some person things you were bringing to the table. Was that personal experiences you could relate to Natural Selection?
RH: Mmhmm. Well, we shot it in 2010—I was out of a marriage for two years. I had been divorced. And it was still really…I don’t know if you’ve ever been through that, but for me, it was a huge transition. It was really painful. I had conflicting feelings about it. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I still loved my husband tremendously. When I went back to my house, and the house was completely empty—I had moved out when my husband figured out what he was going to do, and then I moved back into the house, and everything of his was gone—there’s a moment in the film when Linda goes back to the house and she’s brushing her teeth. And that moment when—she has a double-sink—she has to turn the other sink on to feel okay, I completely related to that. That floored me. There’s this quiet emptiness that is awful. And then, when she’s making a decision at the end, she loves Raymond, but she knows it’s not the right thing to do. Those scenes where she’s kind of coming to a realization that neither one of these people is going to save her. She’s got to do it on her own.
There's a tricky balance the movie finds, between comedy and drama. Was that difficult? Deciding when a moment needed to be funny? Or funnier? Or less funny?
RH: Well, we definitely didn’t want to get too jokey with it. But for me, it was always playing the reality of the scene. I didn’t really feel like I was in a comedy or a drama. Whatever the situation at hand, that’s what I’m dealing with and trying to be true to it in that moment. Linda is never in on the joke. You know what I mean? I never felt like I was winking. I just felt like, even though it’s hysterically funny when she’s bathing him, in the bathtub, and he’s like, ‘Woman, please. I can wash my own ass,’ she’s not thinking…I wasn’t trying to be funny. The reality is, I was really concerned about how he’s going to get out of this tub. And that, just playing the truth of Raymond being like, ‘I can’t function with this crazy weird woman in my face,’ and me, because it’s Abe’s son, wanting to take care of him, you don’t have to do anything but play the scene. It has to do with Robbie’s writing.
The writing is really strong. The world that it takes place in is also really strong. It’s a very specific slice of American life. Did you feel connected or familiar with that world the movie takes place in?
RH: Yeah, I did. All my parents…my two dads—my stepdad and my biological father—and my mom grew up in very small towns. My dad lived in the south, and I’d go to visit him. It’s a very simple—and I don’t mean that in a condescending way—and a very pure, simple, uncomplicated place. They did not care about television. If they go out to the movies, it’s a treat. Every now and then. So I can completely relate to these people, to live in a very small—and I don’t mean small like sad—it’s just a kind of cloistered town.
Is the liberty to play dramatic roles in the indie world appealing to you? Do you want to go back to that?
RH: Yes, for sure. I would love to do another indie. That was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life, doing this film with Robbie. It was so unfettered. Robbie wrote it. The thing, too, that I think is important to remember, is that Robbie was with this film for six years. It was a personal story for him. And when you have that kind of passion and will in the filmmaker, it just kind of…he exuded all this passion and energy into the project. So we all got the trickle-down of that, and were also really passionate about it, too. And he cared so deeply about it. I would love to work on more projects like that, with people that are interested and have a great story to tell. And it’s a great character. For me, that was the character. Who knows if I’ll ever get another character that amazing?
I hope so!
RH: Aww, you’re so sweet! I hope so, too! I really hope so, too.
We’re big New Girl fans here, and I know you did a couple of those. I know you're currently working on a new TV pilot, but is there any chance of you coming back for more?
RH: I did three, I’m not sure if the third one aired yet. I’d always go back. I love them. Liz Meriwether, and everybody.
It’s open-ended.
RH: It’s open-ended, yes. They’re doing pretty good with their main cast. [Laughs] I’m obsessed with Max Greenfield and Jake Johnson. They’re all good. They’re all great. I think that they’re a really great ensemble cast. It’s great to go in there and just get to be so obsessed and silly and do this crazy principal. It’s really fun. So we’ll see if that happens. But I hope that this pilot goes, and shoots, and I can never go back there. [Laughs]
Excellent. I hope we see you in lots of things in the near future, regardless of what they are.
RH: Aww. That’s so sweet.
Actually, I was really mad that you didn’t get your revenge in Hangover II. Maybe in The Hangover Part III?
RH: I know! You know, we should start a petition that she gets back in the third one in some way. I think she and Alan should get together. Let’s start it! I think Alan and Melissa need to hook up.

S1E8: I’ve been pretty hard on Terra Nova for some time now. Specifically, I’ve found flaw with the simplistic self-contained plotlines—like Elisabeth getting temporary amnesia, or Maddy getting stuck in a tree with her brawny boyfriend (I also don’t know why I can’t make mention of the character Reynolds without highlighting his physique—not too sure what that’s about). I have also chastised the far-too-thin running story arc of Josh pursuing the retrieval of his girlfriend via the Sixers’ two-way portal. Plus, the dialogue. Oh…the dialogue. So, yeah. Maybe I’ve been a bit hypercritical of Terra Nova. But in all honesty, this week’s episode, “Vs.,” is an hour of television that—while still bearing it share of flaws (some new, some in Terra Nova—I genuinely enjoyed. It’s a little busier than usual. New subplots spring out after every commercial break. And it sure does up the ante on the campy during its “time-killer” moments. But I have to admit, “Vs.” is a fun watch, and a positive step for the series—exemplifying the lengths it is taking to instill both its characters (specifically, Taylor), it mysteries and its whole universe with more than we might have expected.
The episode follows in the recent vein of making us question the governing body of Terra Nova, in two specific ways: one very overt, one very subtle. The central plot of the episode follows Jim’s investigation of Taylor himself for murder of an unidentified individual. After Jim looks in on a delirious Boylan, who has been interrogated and psychologically tortured by Taylor for suspected treason with the Sixers, he finds out from Boylan that Taylor murdered somebody and buried him beneath a tree in the nearby woodlands, five years ago. Jim battles with his own doubts, a contentious Malcolm, and, eventually, Taylor himself in the deliberation over whether or not Terra Nova’s leader could be a murderer, let alone what to do about it.
"If they didn't, then the dragonfly will lead us right to the spy's front door, just as you suggested yesterday." - Malcolm
"If they didn't, and if the dragonfly could fly, but the fly can't fly." - Taylor
In the meantime, Taylor and Malcolm are investigating a prehistoric dragon fly that has been trained to fly a microchip from the Sixers to their TN-based spy, following a specific sound frequency to reach its destinations. After Malcolm figures all of this out and nurtures the bug back to health (it was injured by Reynolds when it flew near a group of young children—its incapacitated state allowed for Malcolm to figure out just what was going on with the bug anyway), he sets it back out so that he and Taylor may track on its quest to the sound frequency and find out who the TN-based mole is. But here’s the thing: at this point, Taylor knows that Jim is onto him, so he sets up a mechanism to deliver the same sound frequency in Jim’s home so that he has grounds to arrest him—now that is government corruption.
"If the people of Terra Nova knew that all of the blood, sweat and tears they put into building this place was built on a lie, and would probably come to absolutely nothing...well, they might as well lay down and die and forget the whole damn thing." - Taylor
The whole ordeal is made pretty much moot by the fact that Jim and Taylor are, like, best friends. Taylor confesses everything to Jim while he’s in custody—without all that much provocation, by the way—and then allows him to go free. This is really a “Coming to his senses” scene, but considering the lengths the man went to, it seems a little bit like a “Did he just forget what he was doing?” scene. Anyway, Taylor admits some pretty pertinent information—flashback: his son Lucas comes back to TN on the second pilgrimage, but his intentions are to develop a two-way portal so that the 2100s could mine TN for resources (or so Taylor says…I have a feeling something far more diabolical is afoot). The government then sends back Taylor’s mentor, a 2100s General, to replace him and cooperate with their paradise-paving ploy. Unbeknownst to the one-armed general, apparently, his handicap is a pretty big detriment in close-range duels. He draws a gun on Taylor, but Taylor is quicker and manages to shoot and kill him. Subsequently, Taylor banishes his own son after realizing his malfeasance, telling him he never wants to see him again.
So now we know the “What happened with Taylor and his son” backstory, which has been pretty much the biggest driving force of the series. The drawings on the rocks are also explained: they are Lucas’ plans for a two-way portal, which he draws on rocks in the woods to taunt his father (or so Taylor assumes).
"Good friends, family, loved ones...we're all in this together. Without all of you, I'd have nothing." - Taylor
We still don’t know who the Sixers’ mole is, but my hunch is the same as it was from the get-go: Washington. There might be a few things that contradict this, most notably her capture by the Sixers in an early episode. But there’s something about the way she pops into frame in this episode, twice—both in scenes when the spy is sort of, but not too obviously, being discussed. I’m going to have to go with my gut on this one and favor the language of the camera over logical in-universe signs. And anyway, there aren’t too many other major characters available as possibilities. With Boylan out, Malcolm too easy a choice, and Reynolds not really interesting enough to be a Sixer spy, Washington remains my bet.
The Harvest Festival framing is a genuinely interesting way to illustrate the theme of this episode (plus, the whole thing ends with an elaborate fireworks show...which really, can't at all be a bad idea in a society surrounded by dinosaur-infested woods). The Terra Novans celebrate Taylor as the messiah: he is their savior, their leader, their pioneer. But, as only the ones with names know, he’s also a really messed up, emotionally damaged, anything-but-infallible head case with a power trip and a god complex and a whole bunch of other reasons why he shouldn’t be a totalitarian leader (including the one simply fact that no one should ever be a totalitarian leader). Taylor is married to his mission to preserve Terra Nova, and his understanding of how to do so allows for no substitutes as its absolute leader—this is trouble, no matter where his heart lies. And although things wrap up nicely for Jim and Taylor this time, I predict that will not always be the case from now on.
portal that two-way portal should be ready any time now.

The Toronto International Film Festival has an impressive slate of films lined up for its 35th anniversary. The Canadian film festival will host 25 World Premieres, 15 Gala Premiers and 35 Special Presentations films from a multitude of acclaimed and upcoming directors. The most anticipated films to debut at the festival include Darren Aronofsky’s followup to The Wrestler, the stately-looking Black Swan, and Mark Romanek’s adaptation of bestseller Never Let Me Go, starring new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield. Robert Redford’s Lincoln assassination drama The Conspirator and John Cameron Mitchell’s tearjerker Rabbit Hole, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s perplexing Biutiful are also generating some interest and buzz. Less promising features include Stone, a thriller so generic that Ed Norton's cornrows look like the most interesting thing about it, and Trust, David Schwimmer's melodramatic internet predator panic piece. But don't quote us on that, film festivals are always full of unexpected surprises, and you can never be sure what's going to become a hit.
The Toronto Film Festival will take place from September 9-19th. For a full summary of the films appearing in the festival, check out the official list below.
Galas
The Bang Bang Club. Steven Silver, Canada/South Africa World Premiere The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa and the final demise of apartheid. The film tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men – and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch, Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
Barney's Version Richard J. Lewis, Canada/Italy North American Premiere From producer Robert Lantos, Barney’s Version is a film based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel. Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney?s candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman) and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman).
Black Swan Darren Aronofsky, USA North American Premiere A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company. Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. Black Swan also stars Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder.
Casino Jack George Hickenlooper, Canada World Premiere Based on a true story, Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the former high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison, and stunned the world. It remains the biggest scandal to hit Washington, D.C. since Watergate. The film also stars Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Rachelle Lefevre and Jon Lovitz.
The Conspirator Robert Redford, USA World Premiere While an angry nation seeks vengeance, a young union war hero must defend a mother accused of aiding her son in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Directed by Robert Redford, the film stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood and Tom Wilkinson.
The Debt John Madden, USA North American Premiere Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington star in this thriller about three Israeli Mossad agents on a 1965 mission to capture a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, secrets about the case emerge.
The Housemaid Im Sang-Soo, South Korea North American Premiere In this erotic thriller, the housemaid of an upper-class family becomes entangled in a dangerous tryst. A satirical look at class structure, reminiscent of the work of Claude Chabrol, this sexy soap opera is a story of revenge and retribution.
Janie Jones David M. Rosenthal, USA World Premiere Aspiring recording artist Ethan Brand gets a stunning surprise on the opening night of a tour – a strung out former groupie appears unexpectedly, pleading with him to care for their daughter while she pulls herself together. Enter Janie Jones.
The King's Speech Tom Hooper, United Kingdom/Australia North American Premiere The King's Speech tells the story of the man who would become King George VI, the father of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George „Bertie? VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Little White Lies Guillaume Canet, France World Premiere Despite a traumatic event, a group of friends decides to go ahead with their annual beach vacation. Their relationships, convictions, sense of guilt and friendship are sorely tested. They are finally forced to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other. Directed by Guillaume Canet and starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonneton and Pascale Arbillot.
Peep World Barry Blaustein, USA World Premiere On the day of their father?s 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a novel written by the youngest sibling that exposes the family?s most intimate secrets. The project's available for distribution, and stars Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Taraji Henson and Ron Rifkin.
Potiche François Ozon, France North American Premiere A bourgeois housewife (Catherine Deneuve) takes on a rough union leader (Gerard Depardieu) in François Ozon's sparkling comic war between the sexes, and the classes.
The Town Ben Affleck, USA North American Premiere The Town is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future. In the Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, Doug MacCray is the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers. But everything changed on the gang?s last job when they took bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. Questioning what she saw, Doug seeks out Claire. As their relationship deepens, Doug wants out of this life and the town, but now he must choose whether to betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.
The Way Emilio Estevez, USA World Premiere Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage. Along the way he learns what it means to be a citizen of the world again and discovers the difference between “The life we live and the life we choose.”
West is West Andy De Emmony, United Kingdom World Premiere Manchester, Northern England, 1976. The now much-diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, is under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. His father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years earlier. The sequel to East is East, West is West is the coming of age story of both 15-year-old Sajid and of his father, 60-year-old George Khan.
Special Presentations
Another Year Mike Leigh, United Kingdom North American Premiere A happily married, middle-aged couple are visited by a number of unhappy and lonely friends who use them as confidantes. When an unmarried friend falls for their young son, they watch as events unfold. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez and Martin Savage.
Beginners Mike Mills, USA World Premiere When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore the honesty of his own relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.
The Big Picture Eric Lartigau, France World Premiere Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and two wonderful sons, except that this is not the life he has been dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing him to assume a new identity that will enable him to live his life fully. The Big Picture, an adaptation of the novel by Douglas Kennedy, is directed by Eric Lartigau and stars Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup and Catherine Deneuve. It is produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
Biutiful Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico North American Premiere This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever. The film stars Javier Bardem.
Blue Valentine Derek Cianfrance, USA Canadian Premiere Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost, told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.
Brighton Rock Rowan Joffe, United Kingdom World Premiere Based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel, we follow the odd relationship between a young thug on the rise in the British underground and a tea room waitress who witnesses a crime he has committed.
Buried Rodrigo Cortés, Spain/USA Canadian Premiere When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no idea who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time.
Conviction Tony Goldwyn, USA World Premiere Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister?s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters? (two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.
Cirkus Columbia Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina International Premiere After twenty years of exile, a husband returns to his hometown in Herzegovina to settle some scores with his ex-wife, armed with a new Mercedes, a sexy new girlfriend and a mangy black cat.
Dhobi Ghat Kiran Rao, India World Premiere In the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, four people separated by class and language are drawn together in compelling relationships. Shai, an affluent investment banker on a sabbatical, strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna, a young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor, and has a brief dalliance with Arun, a gifted painter. As they slip away from familiar moorings and drift closer together, the city finds its way into the crevices of their inner worlds.
Easy A Will Gluck, USA World Premiere After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne?s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumour mill to advance her social and financial standing.
Henry's Crime Malcolm Venville, USA World Premiere After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob the bank for real. His plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets complicated when he falls for the company?s lead actress. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Fisher Stevens, Peter Stormare, Danny Hoch and Bill Duke.
The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet, United Kingdom North American Premiere From the director of The Triplets Of Belleville comes a film of grace and unique beauty. Working from a never-produced script written by Jacques Tati for his daughter, Chomet tells the story of a magician who was pushed aside by rock and roll, yet finds one young girl who appreciates his magic. The film stars Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh Rankin.
In A Better World Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden International Premiere The story traces elements from a refugee camp in Africa to the grey humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial town. The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. Soon, friendship transforms into a dangerous alliance and a breathtaking pursuit in which life is at stake.
I Saw the Devil Kim Jee-woon, South Korea North American Premiere A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.
It's Kind of a Funny Story Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, USA World Premiere Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic – where he finds himself in the adult ward. Sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and the pressures of growing up. The comedy-drama stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA International Premiere Adapted from Bob Glaudini's acclaimed Off Broadway play, Jack Goes Boating is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. The film stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Amy Ryan and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Hoffman making his feature directorial debut.
L'Amour Fou Pierre Thoretton, France World Premiere Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires. This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his lifelong partnership with Pierre Bergé and their decision to auction off a lifetime of precious art and objects.
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Andrew Lau, Hong Kong North American Premiere In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor?s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen, who is believed dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that plagues the country.
Lope Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain World Premiere Andrucha Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega?s passionate life to the screen. The young poet returns to Madrid from war and gets his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe – quickly charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina, also falls under the spell of his poems. So much seduction eventually brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.
Love Crime Alain Corneau, France International Premiere Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingénue, Love Crime is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole, United Kingdom World Premiere Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O?Grady, the catalyst for the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists which led to the advent of the Equal Party Act. Working in extremely impoverished conditions for long, arduous hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lose their patience when they are reclassified as “unskilled.” With humour, common sense and courage, they take on their corporate paymasters, an increasingly belligerent local community, and finally the government itself. The film also stars Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James and Rosamund Pike.
Miral Julian Schnabel, United Kingdom/Israel/France North American Premiere From the director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes Miral, the visceral, first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of Miral's world – how she was formed, who influenced her, all that she experiences in her tumultuous early years – to create a raw, moving, poetic portrait of a woman whose small, personal story is inextricably woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.
Never Let Me Go Mark Romanek, United Kingdom World Premiere Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) spent their childhood at a seemingly idyllic boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school, the terrible truth of their fate is revealed and they must confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung, Japan North American Premiere Adapted from Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel. Watanabe, a quiet and serious college student, becomes deeply devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman with whom he shares the tragedy of their best friend?s death. When Naoko suddenly disappears, Midori, an outgoing, vivacious and supremely self-confident girl marches into Watanabe's life. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara.
Outside the Law Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium North American Premiere Bouchareb's follow-up to Days of Glory is an epic French gangster movie in the tradition of Once Upon a Time in America. The film follows three brothers from childhood in Algeria through turbulent years in Paris, as their paths diverge towards radical politics and violent crime.
Rabbit Hole John Cameron Mitchell, USA World Premiere A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy.
A Screaming Man Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad North American Premiere One of Africa's preeminent film artists, Haroun returns to themes of family and loyalty in war-torn Chad. A father and son work together at the pool of five-star hotel, but the civil war forces life-and-death choices upon them.
Stone John Curran, USA World Premiere. Robert De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined. Stone weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film also stars Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy.
Submarine Richard Ayoade, United Kingdom World Premiere British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic, and simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom, armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate.
That Girl in Yellow Boots Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere Ruth is searching for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour, where she gives "happy endings? to unfulfilled men. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth's quest as she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly.
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere Based on Posy Simmonds? beloved graphic novel. When Tamara Drewe returns to the village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara – once an ugly duckling – has been transformed and is now a minor celebrity. As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighbouring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play.
The Trip Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England, eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. The film stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
Trust David Schwimmer, USA World Premiere Safe and sound in their suburban home, Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) used to sleep well at night. When their 14-year-old daughter, Annie, made a new friend on-line – a 16-year-old boy named Charlie – Will and Lynn didn?t think much of it. But when Annie and Charlie make a plan to meet what happens in the next twenty-four hours changes the entire family forever. Charlie is really a 40-year-old serial pedophile (Tom McCarthy) and, once Annie?s rape comes to light, it becomes a touchstone event that reverberates through the entire family.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Woody Allen, United Kingdom/USA/Spain North American Premiere Woody Allen's latest comic ensemble piece follows a group of Londoners struggling with failing marriages, restless libidos, the perils of aging and desires that drive a series of decisions with unforeseen consequences. The film stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch and Naomi Watts.
Source: IndieWire

Top Story: No Kutcher-Moore Wedding Planned
Ashton Kutcher has no plans to marry girlfriend Demi Moore in the immediate future, The Associated Press reports. Kutcher, who recently quit his successful MTV hidden-camera prank show, Punk'd, told Access Hollywood he and Moore are not planning a wedding. "I don't have any plans for it. I can check the datebook, but the last I looked, there wasn't anything in there like that." Kutcher currently stars on That '70's Show and will soon be seen in theaters in The Butterfly Effect.
Baldwin vs. Basinger Custody Case Set
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin are heading back to court to decide custody of daughter Ireland, Associated Press reports. The exact matter to be decided regarding custody of the couple's 8-year-old daughter is not clear since the case file is not available to the public. The high-profile couple was married for eight years before Basinger filed for divorce and physical custody of Ireland in 2001. At the time of the divorce Basinger allowed joint custody and visitation rights for Baldwin.
Ross Agrees to Plea Bargain
Diana Ross, arrested for drunk driving after driving the wrong way on a Tucson, Arizona, street late last year, has accepted a plea bargain rather than allow her case to be heard before a judge and jury. How the 59-year-old former Supremes singer would plead was not disclosed, only that she would appear at the hearing next month "telephonically."
Backstreet Boy Foils Robbery Attempt
A.J. McLean of the boy band Backstreet Boys helped stop a jewel thief as the man attempted to make off with a $40,000 diamond bracelet, Launch Radio Networks reports. McLean was trying on watches at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel's jewelry store Rocks when a man entered and asked to see several bracelets and rings. The man put on one of the rings and dashed for the exit. The counter clerk, in a panic, explained that she couldn't leave the store, so off McLean ran in hot pursuit. He and a hotel security guard apprehended the man in the hotel parking lot. McLean was in Las Vegas to appear at the Adult Entertainment Expo.
Spalding Gray Missing
Actor/writer Spalding Gray, who began his career as a teenager with a one-man show and starred in numerous Hollywood films over the years, has been reported missing, Reuters reports. His brother Rockwell described the 62-year-old Rhode Island native as being in "a fairly depressed condition for some time." Gray is perhaps best known for his 1987 one-man show Swimming to Cambodia, based on his experience working on the 1985 film, The Killing Fields. The New York Police Department is investigating the disappearance.
Fraiser To Sign Off After 11 Years
After 20 years of playing the fussy radio psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, Kelsey Grammer looks ready to hang up his mic once and for all, Reuters reports. NBC executives revealed Monday that the show will end its 11-year run this May. It is unclear what exactly prompted the ending of the show, but concerns over slipping ratings and the cost of production due to the star's million-plus salary per episode are likely culprits. Grammer originated the character of Dr. Frasier Crane on the show Cheers which also ran for eleven seasons on NBC.
Disney Shuts Down Florida Studio
Walt Disney Studios, in a move towards phasing out hand-drawn animated films in favor of exclusively computer-generated features and shorts, is shutting down its studio at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., AP reports. Well over 200 jobs will be cut as the base of operations for the animation department of Disney moves to Burbank, Calif. Disney also recently shut down similar studios in Paris and Tokyo. Disney pioneered animation in its early days, producing the first sound cartoon Steamboat Willie, which also marked Mickey Mouse's debut.
Role Call: Lions Gate Likes What It Saw
Lions Gate has snatched up the serial killer flick Saw at this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, according to The Hollywood Reporter/. The film stars Cary Elwes and newcomer Leigh Whannell as two men who become trapped in a room at the mercy of a serial killer. Whannell also wrote the screenplay, If all goes as planned, you can see Saw at theaters sometime this year.

Dr. Seuss' "Grinch" was just what the doctor ordered for theater owners, lifting their spirits with nearly $74 million in Thanksgiving ticket sales.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and star Jim Carrey easily held on to the top spot in its second weekend.
Going into the long Thanksgiving period, insiders' were seeing stiff competition on their radar screens for "Grinch" from Buena Vista's twin openings of "Unbreakable" (Touchstone) and "102 Dalmatians" (Disney). But it was clear as early as Thanksgiving morning when estimates of Wednesday's grosses became available that "Grinch" would top the holiday chart. Nonetheless, Buena Vista's two new arrivals together carved themselves a robust $74 million slice of box office pie.
(NOTE: Today's estimates are for the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period from Wednesday through Sunday. There are no percentage comparisons to last week, a non-holiday period.)
"Grinch" placed first with a jolly estimated $73.77 million at 3,134 theaters (+7 theaters; $23,538 per theater). Its cume is approximately $137.4 million, heading for $180-200 million or more.
"Grinch" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend.
"We're thrilled," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "This movie will be an immense success for every area of the studio. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have delivered an incredible early Christmas present and we couldn't be more grateful."
What accounts for the huge expansion in the marketplace? "'Grinch,'" Rocco replied. "We can't say the weather was bad because the weather was decent everywhere. Today (Sunday) is rainy in New York and is going to help business even more. It's very rainy on the East Coast and we know that bodes well (for ticket sales) on Sunday. People are in the holiday spirit. 'Grinch' certainly is a holiday movie. Christmas came early!"
Directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer, "Grinch" stars Jim Carrey.
Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "Unbreakable," reteaming the director and star of Touchstone's blockbuster "The Sixth Sense," broke into second place with a high-powered estimated $47.2 million at 2,708 theaters ($17,429 per theater).
"Can you imagine a film as big and as powerful as 'Grinch' is in this marketplace and 'Dalmatians' and 'Rugrats' still do this kind of business?" Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "Does that show the power of the family audience on this holiday?"
Focusing first on "Unbreakable," Viane observed, "We all knew, when you take a risk like this of putting an adult feature in a very family-oriented holiday, you're not sure. Up till now, I think 'Back to the Future' was the biggest of the non-family movies to ever go out there (at Thanksgiving). This obviously blows it away. To think that you can do $47 million worth of adult business on this holiday, when everybody is off taking their families to the movies, is remarkable. It's a great holiday.
"I think probably what you're going to see each year (now) is that somebody's going to do this. Somebody's going to place an adult film here. It's too lucrative not to. When you see the kind of numbers that a good film can take out of the marketplace, you've got to say to yourself, if you have an adult film and Christmas becomes too crowded, why not be here? How many weekends in the year would we have not been number one if it wasn't for a picture as strong as 'Grinch?'"
As for finishing second, Viane pointed out, "Being number two at $47 million? Any time, any place, I'll take it. When we first laid both films down at this time, we knew 'Grinch' was a player and we always said, 'As long as we come out of this in the top three, it doesn't matter because the money's so big.' Boy, it sure played out that way."
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, "Unbreakable" stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
Driven at the top by "Grinch" and "Unbreakable," the Thanksgiving marketplace expanded to nearly $240 million for key films (those grossing over $500,000 for the five days). That sends this Thanksgiving into the record books as Hollywood's biggest ever. Until now, Thanksgiving 1999 held the record with a key films gross of nearly $219 million. This year's five-day Thanksgiving ticket sales for key films were up about 9.5% from last year.
Buena Vista/Disney's live-action, G-rated puppies sequel "102 Dalmatians" got off to a little less peppy start in third place with an estimated $26.8 million at 2,704 theaters ($9,911 per theater).
"$26.8 million in a market with 'Grinch' is fabulous," Buena Vista's Viane said Sunday morning. "In a market with 'Grinch' and 'Rugrats' it's probably even a bigger exclamation point to be able to do this kind of business. It just shows how much the family market can expand during a holiday and how they are willing to take second and third choices. I would believe that 'Grinch' helped all the films in the market this weekend because there was so much pressure on their (available) seats that people were willing to take a second or third or fourth choice.
"Even 'Meet the Parents' and 'Remember the Titans' both had very nice weekends simply because they're ratings friendly movies. Folks were willing to see them for a second time or somebody who hadn't been catching up with the movies finally got a chance to see them. These megaplexes finally came to fruition about what they're there for -- a lot of films in the marketplace and people being given some choice."
Asked about "Dalmatians" and those who think it should have opened bigger, Viane replied, "The original did more. This is a sequel. Sequels historically do less. So I'd say we're right in the ballgame of where realistic expectations should be."
Looking ahead, Viane said, "I think both 'Rugrats' and ourselves will now benefit from the humongous success of 'Grinch' in that there is nothing new coming for a couple of weeks. I think the family audience can now make choices. There is not a new family movie until (BV's animated) 'Emperor's New Groove' on Dec. 15. So I think that will be wonderful for the history of both of these films. Look, there is no question that there was this big snowball rolling down the hill called 'Grinch.' I think we're all going to get caught up in the wake of it and get their aftermath.
"I think there is a big audience for the next two weeks for these films. I think overall the business is in such great shape. And having a 'second' Christmas coming, that's fabulous. There have been too many years where all the rocks were put either at Thanksgiving or at Christmas. This year it's so well spread out. I think it's really good for our industry."
Directed by Kevin Lima, "Dalmatians" stars Glenn Close and Gerard Depardieu.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' G-rated animated sequel "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" fell two pegs to fourth place in its second week with a still cheerful estimated $22.75 million at 2,937 theaters (+3 theaters; $7,746 per theater). Its cume is approximately $47.9 million.
"It's running about 20% behind the original," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "Of course, the original didn't have the kind of competition that this one has. It opened at that level and, frankly, it's been playing at that level. And if that holds true, it will end up in the $85 million range (in domestic theaters), which will be very good.
"It's really playing exactly like the (first) one. This weekend was off 23% for the three days from the opening weekend, which was exactly the same percentage as the original."
Directed by Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer, it was produced by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo.
Columbia's PG-13 action adventure comedy "Charlie's Angels" fell two rungs to fifth place in its fourth weekend with a still snappy estimated $14.0 million at 2,838 theaters (-199 theaters; $4,933 per theater). Its cume is approximately $109.2 million, heading for $140 million in domestic theaters.
"It's just terrific considering the level of competition," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "It was down 20% Friday-Saturday-Sunday, so you can see it's still a picture people want to see and we're getting repeat business despite all the competition."
The "Angels" are flying high internationally, as well. "We had a huge opening in the U.K. -- 3 million pounds," Blake noted. "Our opening in Australia was second only to 'Men in Black.' So far this weekend, we've got 10 number one openings around the world with 16 left to report. It looks like we could well sweep the board as the number one opening worldwide this weekend. Number one openings are confirmed in the U.K., Australia, Italy, France, Korea, Brazil -- literally all over the world in both Americas, Asia and Europe."
Directed by McG, "Angels" stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray.
This weekend also saw the arrival of Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Quills," placing 19th with an encouraging estimated $0.31 million at 9 theaters ($34,955 per theater).
"I think it's terrific," Fox Searchlight distribution president Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "When I look back at films like 'English Patient' or 'Full Monty,' it's a tremendous opening (for) a very serious, provocative film in the midst of this humongous weekend. It's very exciting to see that there is a significant public out there that's interested in an alternative sort of grown-up movie.
"There is a wide range of films out there and we were able to find an audience. We got tremendous critical support. The vast majority of the press was very enthusiastic and I think we're off and running. From here, we're going to play very well into the end of the year."
"Quills" opened in five key markets, Gilula said: "It was strong everywhere -- New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles and Toronto. It's obviously very strong in New York. Of course, in New York you have higher ticket prices. But it's playing very well in all the cities. It's very encouraging. When we go to the next key cities on Dec. 15, we're very enthused that we're going to do extremely well."
Gilula did not yet have exit poll data in hand early Sunday morning, but noted, "It's a pretty wide range -- anywhere from 20-something all the way up. It's reaching out to a college age and younger audience as well as traditional sophisticated moviegoers. There's a large discriminating audience out there that's always looking for variety in the films they go see."
Directed by Philip Kaufman, it stars Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet.

Grammy Award-winning artist Eminem was sentenced to two years' probation Tuesday for carrying a concealed weapon.
The rapper had entered a guilty plea with prosecutors in February after he pistol-whipped a man he saw kissing his wife, Kimberly, outside a Detroit-area nightclub called Hot Rocks in June.
Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga said earlier that he would seek no more than six months because Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, "has no record and there was no serious injury," The Associated Press reported.
Circuit Judge Antonio Viviano also fined Eminem $2,500 and ordered him to undergo counseling and submit to drug testing. The rapper also must ask the court for permission to travel overseas.
Eminem already has reached a preliminary divorce agreement with his wife that gives him joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter.
On the advice of his attorneys, Eminem made no statement in court. He stood silent between his attorneys in a dark suit and tie.
The rapper's mother, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, was at court Tuesday to see her son's sentencing.
"It was just basically to make sure he was OK," she told Reuters. "I didn't want my son to get jail time. You may have differences, but you never stop loving a child," she told Reuters.
Eminem said after his sentence that he was looking forward to putting the case behind him.
"The judge treated me fair, like any other human being," he said, AP reported. "I just want to get it behind me and get back to spending time with my little girl and making music."
Springsteen shows who the "Boss" is
New Jersey rock star Bruce Springsteen won his legal battle Tuesday to block Masquerade Music Ltd. from releasing 19 songs he recorded before he became famous.
The London Court of Appeal dismissed Masquerade's challenge of a December 1998 decision preventing the release of an unauthorized album featuring Springsteen's early work. The London-based Masquerade had imported about 75 copies of the album, Before the Fame, and had "threatened to release many further copies," said High Court Justice Francis Ferris, according to the BBC News.
The songs were recorded in the early 1970s, several years before Springsteen's hit "Born to Run." The album would feature the "Boss" accompanying himself with guitar and piano, material that was never meant for release.
Springsteen felt that Masquerade's attempt to claim ownership of the songs' copyright was an attack on his artistic integrity
"The music you release is the way you shape your career, and I have always believed you have to do all you can do to protect your work," Springsteen told Reuters.
The singer received an award of $725,000 in legal costs and the cost of the appeal, still to be determined.
Strike Waivers OK'd by SAG president
Strike waivers for individual filmmakers have received the approval of Screen Actors Guild president William Daniels. He will support granting the waivers if the qualifiers accept the guild's labor demands during a work hiatus, but he stressed the ultimate decision will be made by SAG's negotiating committee.
"I want to keep actors working," Daniels said Monday following a news conference about the announcement of legislative hearings on agent issues.
Some more stringent guild members believe this move may take away leveraging power at the negotiation table, while others see it as a tactic to bring out the benefits of the guild contract.
SAG has received hundred of requests from filmmakers seeking waivers in the last few months. The SAG contract is due to expire June 30. Negotiation talks have not yet been set.
Castro attends "Thirteen Days" screening
Producers of Thirteen Days, including star Kevin Costner, Peter Almond and Armyan Bernstein, spent many hours Monday viewing the film and discussing its historical significance with Cuban president Fidel Castro -seven hours, to be exact, lasting until 2 a.m. The actor was very appreciative of the president's time and that Castro responded very favorably to the film, Costner's spokesman Stephen Rivers told Reuters.
The film's ending has Moscow agreeing to withdraw the missiles from Cuba to the annoyance of Castro, who resented the deal being cut over his head. The U.S. delegation explained to Castro before the screening that the film represented "one perspective on the crisis from one side" and encouraged the Cubans to make their own version.
Not surprisingly, the Cuban news agency, the Presna Latina, felt the film displayed a superficial vision, typical of Hollywood.
"The North Americans are presented yet again as the saviors of the world, while Cuba appears in the film, according to some critics, as mere decoration in a sugary film of pure Hollywood style," the agency said. "With more dialogue than action, the film tends to send the spectator to sleep," it added. The film is set to be screened Wednesday in Moscow for Russian dignitaries and former U.S. cabinet members who were involved in the Missile Crisis, including former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
Napster continues to filter music files
Napster filed a third compliance report on Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, saying it has blocked more than 1.7 million files from its service, substantially improving its filtering technology.
The online song-swap service reported that its has reduced in half the average number of music files shared by users.
Napster has spent $750,000 for six-month's worth of access to the song database of the Internet music company Gracenote and hired 15 staffers to increase its efforts.
In March, Napster disputed claims filed by the Recording Industry Association, which blamed the Web site of inadequate filtering efforts.
In opposition, Napster said the RIAA's complaint dealt with parameters of injunction and not the file sharer's effort to comply with it.
Both companies will have a chance to reconcile their differences on Tuesday at a hearing before District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel to discuss compliance issues.
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Andrew Morton to write unauthorized Madonna biography
Andrew Morton, the author of such celebrity biographies as Princess Diana and Monica Lewinsky, has a new subject: pop star Madonna.
St. Martin's Press purchased the North American rights to Morton's unauthorized Madonna biography, in which he will "disclose the unknown Madonna," St. Martin's president and publisher, Sally Richardson, said Tuesday in a statement.
"Andrew loves complicated women and has a genius for getting into their psyche and telling the world what makes them tick," Richardson added.
A 500,000-copy first printing is planned. The book is scheduled for release in November.
Morton wrote 1992's Diana: Her True Story and 1999's Monica's Story, both New York Times No. 1 bestsellers.
Queen tune makes a comeback
British pop singer Robbie Williams will work with Queen to record a new version of the rock band's 1977 hit "We Are the Champions." The song will be included on the soundtrack for A Knight's Tale, the upcoming film starring Aussie hunk Heath Ledger, according to Reuters.
A spokesman for Williams emphasized that this was a onetime collaboration.
"There are no plans to release it as a single here or in the U.S. It's for a film, so it will just be part of a soundtrack," he said.
Williams recorded the track with Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon from Queen, which originally sold more than 100 million records. Lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991 of AIDS.
"Captain Corelli" to receive London premiere
The highly anticipated love story Captain Corelli's Mandolin will receive its world premiere in London on Thursday, April 19, according to Reuters.
The film, starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz, is based on the bestseller by British novelist Louis de Bernieres. It details a love affair between an Italian officer, Corelli, and a local girl on the Greek island of Cephallonia during World War II. This leads up to the events of September 1943, when, after the Italians declared an armistice with Allies, the Italian soldiers left on the island refuse to surrender to the Germans and fought in vain for 10 days.
The premiere will benefit the British Red Cross.
Paul McCartney's daughter getting into the act
Fashion designer Stella McCartney, the daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney, wants Beatles documentary filmmaker Geoff Wonfer to film her as she sets up her own fashion label, according to Reuters. Wonfer produced The Beatles Anthology and has made films about McCartney's late photographer mother, Linda.
The documentary would chronicle McCartney's departure from the French fashion label Chloe to create her own Gucci-backed designer label.
Several television stations are bidding for the rights to air the documentary.
"Ab Fab" is back
The British cult hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous will return to television after a five-year absence, with the original cast in place, according to USA Today. The BBC and Comedy Central will produce six new episodes to air in November.
Known affectionately among fans as Ab Fab, the sitcom follows the misadventures of two boozy, sex-starved, fashion-crazed friends played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
Rosie goes home after stint in hospital
Talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell was sent home from a New York hospital Monday afternoon, after she was admitted for a staph infection in her hand, according to USA Today. She will not return to her show this week as she is still recovering and on antibiotics.
O'Donnell went to the emergency room on April 3 complaining of excruciating pain in her hand after she had surgery to repair a tendon from a fishing accident last year. Barbara Walters and other members of the show The View are filling in this week for O'Donnell. She will return to her duties behind the desk on Monday.
Actor and activist Graf dies
David Graf, a character actor who starred in all seven Police Academy films, died Saturday of a heart attack in Arizona. He was 50.
Best known for his role as Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series, and for his recurring role as Col. Chase on NBC's hit drama The West Wing, Graf also was very active with the Screen Actors Guild. He served on the national board as a Hollywood representative, the TV-theatrical steering committee, the new technologies caucus and the national disciplinary review committee.
"His kindness, generosity of spirit and ability to tirelessly work for the better of actors will be missed," SAG President William Daniels told Variety.
His other credits includeRules of Engagement, Citizen Ruth and Guarding Tess.
He is survived by his wife, Kathy, and two children.